The third movie of the franchise got a PG-13 rating when it came out in 2014, which contributed to its less-than-expected performance at the box office.
However, the main culprit for the disappointing results of “The Expendables 3” in terms of ticket sales is the fact that a pirated version of the movie already leaked online even before it hit the theaters.
The 70-year-old veteran Hollywood action star also said that “The Expendables 4” will be darker and full of bloody action, which is something they were not able to do with a washed down and tamed PG-13 rating.
Incidentally, a previous report came out saying that Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger had been shopping for cast members of “The Expendables 4” as early as 2014.
According to rumors, the duo has already considered including in the movie the following big name actors including Nicolas Cage, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis again, and many others. But none of them seemed to have been confirmed.
Eventually, the casting reports said that “The Expendables 4” would feature three wrestlers for a villain including Hulk Hogan, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, and the returning Stone Cold Steve Austin.